The present invention relates to controllers and more particularly to hand operated controllers for operating remote systems such as trains, robot arms, air or space craft, free fliers and the like.
In the prior art there are a number of hand controllers designed for controlling robots, aircraft or spacecraft, each having specific features useful for particular applications. For example, in the Israel Menahem patent application Ser. No. 07/655,740 filed Feb. 14, 1991 a unique mechanism is shown for purposes of providing a three degree of freedom hand grip in which all three axes intersect within the cavity of the grip to prevent cross-coupling. Force feedback is also provided from remotely located force producing devices through a unique connection therein described. One feature not found in the above co-pending application or in other such prior art references is a mechanism for truly allowing the hand grip to move with a linear motion along the for example, pitch or roll axes, i.e., those in a horizontal plane with respect to the craft or housing. Such truly linear motion is often desired to overcome cross-coupling which can occur between linear and rotational axis due to the arc motion of the linkage.
Although in a general sense straight line motion mechanisms are known in the art as, for example, the Roberts' mechanism to be later described herein, such mechanisms provide truly linear motion for only one point in the system. More particularly, if a Roberts' mechanism were used unaltered with a hand grip for controlling a craft, one point in the hand grip would move in a linear fashion as the hand grip is pushed, but such motion would be accompanied by rotational motion of other points in the hand grip. No mechanisms has heretofore been provided which will allow all of the points in a hand grip controller to move in a truly linear fashion, that is, with all the point moving parallel to a pre-determined direction.